Hand truck



May 31, 1932. H, G LANCE 1,860,810

HAND TRUCK Filed Sept. 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Pf 57 Leif' I y /A/z/Z/Vf f Z/ Z Z @MM H. G. LANCE HAND TRUCK May 31, 1932.

Filed Sept. 27, 1929 3 SheetSf-Sheet Fig.f8 is an end elevation of a part of the truck platform, and a portion of the handle locking mechanism, partly in section. l

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of the handle and the locking mechanism, in locked position, on line 9-9, Fig. 5.

Fig. l() is an end viewof a portion of a handtruck provided with automatic handle locking or latch mechanism of modified construction.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section thereof, on line 11-11 Fig. 10, showing the parts in handle locking and releasing position in full and broken lines respectively.

f supports a pair of wheels 14. A

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal verticalsection thereof, on line 12-12, Fig. 10.

The hand truck or vehicle .in general, see Figs. l-S, is of well-known construction and Vcomprises a horizontal platform or body upon .which the goods or commodities are loaded, Vand below each end of which is arranged a wheel-truck 11 pivoted or swivelled to the platform by means of a fifth-wheel structure 12. The axle 13 of each wheel ltruck vertically swinging handle 15 for operating the truck is attachedl to each wheel-truck 11, as by being pivoted at 16 Vbelow the platform 10 to operating dog or latch on or member, Which, when the handle is swung to its Aupright inoperative position is engaged with and automatically actuates a cothe truck. This dog is retained in 'locking position, preferably by gravity until released by the person using the truck.

VIn the construction shown in Figs. .1-9

each handle 15 is provided with a rearwardly extending,- upwardly facing hook carried by a plate 21 secured to the rear face of the handle by suitable-bolts or other fas- Y tenings 22. The hook 20 has a terminal latchactuating curved face or cam 23 connecting with an intermediate flat upright face 24;.

`As the handle approaches the limit of itsrearward movement to upright position, the cam face 23 of the hook 20, see Fig. 4, engages an inclined terminal face 25 of a forwardly extending latch 26. This dog is preferably secured on a transverse, horizontal rod or member 27, journaled'to provide free pivotal movements of the dog in holes in a pair of spaced lugs `the way, and

Vwhen one truck collides with another or A hooked gravity-dog or 28. These .lugs depend from a plate 29 secured to the underside of the platform 10 inwardly of the adjacent end wall 10a thereof. The engagement ofthe dog 26 bythe hook 2O and the continued rearward movement of the handle 15 causes the` dog 26 to be lifted as the hook 2O passes under the same,.and

when the limit of movement of the handle has been reached, said dog drops by gravity, an upright shoulder thereon passing in" front of and interlocking with the correspending upright face 24 of the hook, see Fig. 5, thus locking the handle and preventing it froniniovmg out of its upright position.

' As shown in Figs. S and 9, the rod 27 is provided outwardly beyond one of the lugs' 28 with a forwardly and'laterally extending crank orV handle 82, the end of which is preferably enlarged or weighted at 33. The influence of this weight 33 is to force the hooked forward end of the dog 26 downwardly, thus keeping it enga-ged with the hook 2O when the parts are locked,and permitting the latch to follow or shift with the hook should the relation of the parts of the latch or handle and their connections change dueto `variations in temperature or for other reasons.

In order to maintain the latch 26 in proper position for its engagement by the hook 2O and at the same time permit the Lnecessary upward movement thereof when so engaged', a'portion 34 of the upper face of the dog or latch is formed to act as a stop which is yieldingly held by the weight 33 in engagement with the plate 29 to limit the downward free movement of the dog to the position indicated in Fig. 4J In the swinging movement of the latch above its pivot 27 in the opposite direction, the stop 84 moves away from the plate 29, as shown in Fig. 6.

While either handle of the'truck is positively and automatically locked inthe manner described, the handle can be instantly released by grasping the weighted handle portion 33 connected with the appropriate locking .dog 26 and lifting it upwardly to disconneet thedog from the hook 20. lf both hands should be occupied, the user can trip the handle by means of his foot to release the truck handle. i

It will be noted that the parts of the handle locking or latch mechanism are all located inwardly of and below the respective ends of the platform where they are out of are protected from vdamage with parts of the building, or other objects, yet the parts 33 are easily accessible for actuating and releasing these mechanisms.

The dog 26 can be secured to the pivot rod or member 27 in any suitable way, but preferably as shown on Figs. 4-6, a portion of the rod intermediate the lugs 28 is flattened Yat 36 and is received and fits in the bottom of a les ' tioned on the handle l5 for rectangular open slot 37 formed in the dog. The flattened portion 36 of the rod is releasably but rigidly held in place in the slot 3'? by means of a bolt or pin 38 passing vertically through the dog and` slot and bearing against the rod. Thus a ready means of assembling these parts is provided, and relative displacement of the dog 26 and rod 27 is prevented.

Preferably also the hook plate 2l is made adjustable lengthwise of the handle l5 as by passing the fastening bolts 22 through vertical slots 39 in said plate. In this way the hook can be initially adjusted and posiproper operative engagement with the latch or dog 26, and the hook can be further adjusted from time to time to compensate for wear and looseness in the pivotal connections for the handle and in the fifth wheel or other parts of the truck, such as would cause relative change in position between the hook 2O and dog 26.

In order to prevent lateral play of either handle of the truck when in upright locked .1 position, each handle is received in a recess or pocket l() formed in the Correspending` end 10a of the truck platform or see Figs. 6 and 7. These recesses correspond substantially to the cross sectional dimensions of the handles, so that the bottom wall 4l of each recess acts as a stop to arrest the handle when the same has been moved to locking position. Preferably, the bottom wall 4l is so disposed that when the handle is in engagement therewith the faces 24- and of the hook 2O and dog 26 respectively are in contact, thus preventing longitudinal play and rattling of the handle and locking means in the movements of the truck, see Fig. 5.V

The side walls 42 of the recess likewise prevent lateral movements of the handle when locked, and as the handle is disposed entirely within the recess with its outer face either substantially flush with or below the end wall 10e, any blows or shocks received by the handles will be taken up by the walls of the recess 40, and will not be transmitted through the hook 20 to the locking mechanism.

Preferably the recess is metal bound for protection against wear, as by the use of a plate'l secured to the top face of the platform and having a depending U-shaped flange le fitting the recess and preferably extending laterally beyond the front corners thereof, see Fig. 7.

lf desired, the sides of those portions of the handles which extend into the recesses ll() can be provided with wear plates Ll5 to protect the handles against wear.

A modified form of handle locking inechanism is shown in Figs. 10-12, wherein a gravity actuated locking dog movable in a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane is employed. This dog 50 has at one end a depending locking finger 51, engageable with laterally on its pivot body l0,

.ature The other end of the dog 50 is pivoted to the..

.underside of a fiXedfplate 54 on the platform,

and intermediate of its ends,the dog is also pivotally connected to one end ofa horizontal toggle link 55. rlhe other end vof said link -is in turn pivot-edintermediate .the :endsof a second toggle link'56 which has'one end pivoted to a lug -57 on the aforementioned plate 54. The other endof Vthe link 56;is formed with a pairy of depending spaced projections 5S which straddle a transverse horizontal crank rod 59. The crankrod extends forwardly and thence laterally `and is weighted asin reacts on the links and 56 through the .projections 58 toholdthese links in the angular relation shownin Fig. 1l, .therebyreleasably holding the nger 5l of the locking dog in locking relationtothe hook 52 ofthe trucky handle. Byswinging theweighted end of thecrank 59 upwardly, the dog 50 is moved as shown in broken lines F ig. 1l, to releaseV vthe handle, after which the weight returns the locking dogl and links to locking position.

the rstconstruction;V The weight The parts are maintained in this position to` permit thehoolrfto deflect the dog laterally as the handle 15a approaches its upright locking position. Y

The handle 15a is received in 'a metal bound recess el() in the end wall 10a ,of the platform,

before. 4

Y rlhe automatic handle locking mechanisms described pensive, and are yefficient in operation. The parts cannot readily .get out of order, andthe latch dogs by reason of their gravity actuation., follow and adjust themselves to changes due to wear and variations in temper- The* handle holding recess, being metal bound, prevents oscillation of the han-` g dle and protects the same and the mechanism arranging the locking mechfrom injury. By anisms rearwardly beneath the-.ends .ofthe truck, the partsV thereof are also protected from injury in the use of the truck.

Claims:

l. In a hand truck having a platform, a handle pivoted below said. platform to swing towards and from an upright position, a liXed hook on said handle, and locking mechanism for said handle disposed beneath said platform inwardly of an end wall thereof and in rear of said handle when the same occupies said upright position, whereby said mechanism is protected against blows received against said end of saidftruck, lsaid mechalnism comprising a locking dog, a pivoted roo are comparatively simple and inextruck to swing towards and from being disposed saidV platform to damage in the rtruck to swing weight-actuated part onvwhich said dog is fixed and which permits said dog to move by gravity into locking relation with said hook when said handle is raised to its upright po sition, interfitting said dog, and said platform having a stop face against which said locked handle engages when moved to locking position so as to prevent relative .movements face and said dog face in the movement of the truck from place to place. v

2. In a. hand truclr having a platform, a wheel-truck swivelled thereon to turn horizontally, a handle connected tosaid wheelan 'upright position, locking mechanismfor said handle including a hook on said handle, a gravity actuated locking dog on said platform with which said handle engages when moved to said upright position to holdsaid handle from lateral movement and said wheel truck from turning, said locking dog being pivoted upon and disposed beneathl said platform inwardly beyond an end thereof and said handle hook so as to extend rearwardly therefroniwhen said handle is in upright position and project inwardly underneath engage said dog, whereby said locking mechanism is protected from use of the truck. In a hand truck having a platform, a Wheel-truck Swivelled thereon to turn horizontally, a handle connected to said wheel* towards and from an upright position, and said platform having a recess in an end thereof into which said handle enters and fits when moved to said upright position whereby said handle is held from lateral movement and said Wheel truck is prevented from turning, locking mechanism for said handle which automatically engages and positively holds said handle in said recess by v the movement of sand handle to said upright position, said locking mechanism being disposed beneath and inwardly beyond said end of said platform and in rear of said handle so as to be protected from damage in the use of the truck, and a face in said recess which acts as a stop to arrest said handle to position the same in operative relation to said llocking mechanism.

HENRY G. LANGE.

faceson said hook and on between said hook l 

